Bank statements and source of funds: what consulates accept

Key rules

• Statements: Bring the last 3 to 6 months, or 12 months where the consulate's checklist says so, ending within 30 days of filing.
• Spanish account: You do not need a Spanish bank account to file.

What to bring

Bring both documents: bank statements and a balance certificate. Each consulate publishes its own visa checklist on the consulate's page on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (exteriores.gob.es) or on the visa provider's site. Follow it where it differs; where it does not say, use the rules on this page.

Bank statements

Printed online statements are accepted if they show the bank's name, you as account holder and the transactions. If your consulate wants a bank stamp on them, ask the bank for it. Statements are not apostilled. Download them last, so they run up to a date within 30 days of filing.

The balance certificate

Ask your bank for a certificate on its letterhead, signed and stamped by a bank officer, as the original or an electronically verifiable version. It shows:

• your full name
• the account number or IBAN
• the current balance and its currency
• the date it was issued

It must be issued no more than 30 days before you file. The 30 days count from the issue date, so leave time for the notary, the apostille and the translation: order the certificate, have it signed before a notary, apostilled and translated, and only then file.

Apostille and translation

One rule for every country:

• Bank certificate issued outside Spain: a bank certificate is a private document, so the signature is first witnessed before a notary, then apostilled (or fully legalised through the Spanish consulate if the country is not in the Hague Convention), then translated by a sworn translator unless it is in Spanish. English is not enough for a certificate. This holds for banks in other EU countries too: the multilingual standard form covers public documents, not a bank certificate.
• Bank statements: no notary and no apostille. They need a sworn translation (traducción jurada) unless they are in Spanish or English; English is accepted for statements only.
• Certificate and statements from a Spanish bank: neither.

The same rule applies to the other foreign documents in this topic; each page names the few that differ.

Your foreign account is fine

You can use your existing bank account abroad; for a balance in another currency see Showing money held in foreign currency or foreign accounts. Handing in statements and a certificate carries no government fee, though your bank may charge you for issuing the certificate. Family members who apply with you are covered by the same documents; the funds required for them are in Joint accounts, spouses and family: who must own the money.

Large deposits

Older money needs no proof of where it came from. A deposit made in the 3 months before filing needs a written explanation and a supporting paper: Large deposits and keeping your funds in place after filing.

If you already live in Spain

You file at the immigration office instead of a consulate, with the same statements and certificate under the same rules, and the 80 EUR consular fee does not apply. A certificate from a Spanish bank needs no apostille or translation. If you renew a funds-based permit, you show the same documents at the level of the initial grant.